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When you’re a homeowner, you’re going to be busy. There are so many pieces of maintenance to do, big and small, that sometimes some of them can be forgotten, or at least not seen as a priority. The front yard is exactly this kind of problem. Once you go inside the front door of your home, you won’t always be thinking of the front yard anymore; you’ll be more interested in rearranging your furniture, fixing leaks, painting walls, and in all the other maintenance and decorating ideas you have. 

However, the outside of your home, and the front yard in particular, shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s the first thing that anyone will see when they arrive – or even when they drive past – and it gives them their first impression of you. Of course, it’s not always a good idea to pay attention to what other people think of you, but since this is an easy thing to fix, it’s certainly worth considering. Plus, when your home is attractive on the outside it will have a higher value, not to mention the fact that you will feel more comfortable within it, and proud of your home too. So read on to find out how you can make your front yard look just as good as the rest of your house. 

Remove The Weeds 

Not everyone is a dab hand at gardening – not everyone has a green thumb. Yet this doesn’t mean that you can’t beautify your front yard. In fact, the place to begin is the easiest of all, and anyone can do it, even if you only have a few minutes each day to spare. That easy beginning is, of course, weeding. In case you were in any doubt, weeding is literally the process of removing weeds from your yard, and for such a simple task, the end result can be truly spectacular. If you’re wondering how to get rid of weeds in your lawn and flower beds, you can start by simply pulling them out, either manually or with the help of a tool such as a weeder. This is usually the cheapest and simplest way to weed, but it’s not always effective.

There are a variety of different ways that you can weed your yard, and the one (or ones) you choose will depend on your level of mobility and how much time you have to spare, as well as how much money you want to spend on this pursuit. The simplest way to weed is to pull the weeds out of the ground with your hands (although you should be wearing gloves to do this), but if you have a bad back or you are running short of time, this may not suit you. Whatever you choose, make sure that you are using a method that is safe for wildlife, pets, and children, as well as something that isn’t going to be harmful to the environment. 

As an additional benefit, weeding is good exercise, and getting out into the yard for 20 to 30 minutes each day to clear the weeds is great for your health. Plus, it’s an ongoing job since weeds grow back quickly and there will always be something you need to remove. 

Spread New Grass Seed 

Not all front yards have a lawn but if yours does, how does it look? Is it a uniform color? Does it look healthy? Or is it patchy and dull-looking? Does it have some areas that seem to be dying? It can often be the way since, depending on the direction your front yard faces and the number of trees or larger bushes that are growing there, you might find that the sun doesn’t reach every area, thus leading to unhealthy grass. Even being close to a road can affect this, with pollution from exhaust fumes killing your lawn. 

One way to fix this is to lay artificial turf tennis, but this is a time-consuming job, and when you have perfectly good areas of grass it can feel like a waste of time and money. Unless the entire lawn really does need completely replacing, you can spread new grass seed over the area instead. This is a very easy and much quicker solution as long as you do it at the right time. When done right, the new grass seed will quickly start to grow and your lawn will look luscious and fresh in no time. The important thing to remember here is that there was a reason for the grass to be patchy in the first place. If it’s a lack of light, try to clear some space. If it’s a lack of water, make sure you regularly water the lawn or install sprinklers to do the job for you. 

Improve Your Drainage 

Have you noticed that your front yard becomes a soggy, sodden mess when it rains? Or perhaps some areas stay relatively untouched but huge puddles appear in other places. If this is what happens then you likely have a problem with your drainage that needs to be improved to save your front yard. 

Follow the drainage pipes back towards the house and see if you can spot any kind of blockage; this can cause standing water to appear, especially if your gutters are blocked. Blocked gutters cause rainwater to trickly over the edge rather than down the pipe and away, and that can be the reason why your lawn always gets so wet. In fact, any blockages, not just those found in your guttering, should be removed as soon as possible since they will be causing water to back up into your front yard. 

It’s not just blockages that can cause this issue, though. Uneven ground can also be a problem, and it’s worth checking to see that the ground is not subsiding in any way. You might find it easier to call in an expert to assess the drainage for you; they will also be able to give you guidance about what to do next if there is a problem in this regard. If it is uneven ground, you can use a variety of different materials to ‘prop it up’ again and allow the water to run off as it should do. 

Paint Your Fencing 

Even if you have no weeds at all and your lawn looks beautiful, and even if you have planted some gorgeous flowers in your front yard, if your fence requires painting it can undo all the good and all the hard work you’ve put in. Therefore, if you want an attractive front yard, make sure you spend some time painting your fence. 

By its very nature, the fact that a fence is going to have to contend with all kinds of weather, each one potentially harmful, from rain to wind to frost to sunshine to extremes of hot and cold temperatures and more, means that your fence can start to look less than its best over time. If nothing is done, the fence may even become unsalvageable and fall apart. This will look even worse than an unpainted fence. 

The exciting thing about needing to paint your fence is that you can choose from a wide range of different colors. In the past, there are only limited colors to pick from, including white, brown, or green, but today you can choose almost any color that suits you, and doing this will change the entire look of your yard and even your whole house. Whatever color you choose, just make sure you are buying weatherproof paint made for use on a fence or other outdoor area. Choosing interior paint will not protect the fence and it may not even adhere in the first place, causing a lot more hard work and expense for you (plus it won’t give a great look even if you do manage to use it). 

Before you do any painting at all, if the fence is damaged or is old and needs to be replaced, this work should always happen first. 

Freshen Up The Front Of Your House 

While you are working on your front yard, you should also take a look at the front of your house. Again, this is an area that can be missed entirely from your renovation plans because you just don’t see it as often as the rest of your house; certainly not as much as the interior. 

So while you’re weeding and planting and otherwise hard at work, take a moment to look up. What are your first thoughts? Does the house look in good condition, or would it benefit from a coat of paint, from new windows, from dealing with the missing tiles and damaged roof (which, until you really look at it, you might never have known about, but which could be costing you a great deal on your energy bills), or anything else? If so, now is the time to do it. As we’ve said, experts are usually best when it comes to a home’s exterior, and when it comes to your roof you must use master certified roofers for both a professional outcome and for safety reasons. 

Plants, Ornaments, And Lighting 

Once everything else is prepared, you’ll want to fill your front yard (although don’t over-fill it or it will look messy again) with lovely things. They could include a variety of plants, garden ornaments including water features, and lighting. The lighting can also double as a safety feature to help you get into your home from the street or driveway when it’s dark and to deter criminals. 

The best way to go about adding these elements to your front yard is to plan it all out in advance. Draw a scale picture of your yard and then you can work out exactly where everything will look best in advance. Once you have planted flowers and shrubs and carried heavy ornaments and installed lighting, the last thing you’re going to want to do is to move it all because it doesn’t look right.